History of the Organ

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The Kelvingrove organ was built at the turn of the 19th century by Lewis & Co Ltd of Brixton, London. The company flourished from around 1860 until 1919, when it was amalgamated with Messrs Henry Willis & Sons Ltd.

Originally, the organ was hired from the Lewis firm and installed by them in the Concert Hall of the 1901 International Exhibition.

When the Exhibition closed, the organ was bought and moved to the new Art Gallery and Museum in 1902. At the same time, a new case front in polished walnut was built along with the display pipes, which are non-functional. This superb case-front was to the design of John W Simpson, FRIBA, senior partner of Simpson & Milner Allen, the architects of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.